Patents by Inventor Teruhiko Matsuoka

Teruhiko Matsuoka has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11972594
    Abstract: A multifunction peripheral includes a color number conversion determiner. The color number conversion determiner determines whether it is appropriate to perform either an index color process or a full-color process based on a color distribution degree, which is a distribution degree of pixel values of the respective sets of pixel data included in input image data, a photograph area ratio, which is a ratio of photograph area pixel data forming a photograph area to the pixel data, and a color uniformity area ratio, which is a ratio of white base area pixel data forming a white base area to the pixel data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Teruhiko Matsuoka, Akihito Yoshida, Masahiko Takashima
  • Patent number: 11972061
    Abstract: To provide an input apparatus including an acquisition circuit that acquires a captured image capturing a user, a detection circuit that detects a first hand of the user from the captured image acquired by the acquisition circuit, and a display circuit that displays, when a second hand different from the first hand is detected during tracking of the first hand detected by the detection circuit, notification information corresponding to a distance between the first hand and the second hand on the display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiko Takashima, Teruhiko Matsuoka, Tomoya Ishikura
  • Publication number: 20240037716
    Abstract: An image inputter and a controller are provided, and the controller acquires a multiple-value image via the image inputter, acquires a first image obtained by performing a correction process and a simple binarization process on the multiple-value image and a second image obtained by performing the correction process on the multiple-value image, uses a difference value of a pixel value of the second image with respect to the first image on a pixel-by-pixel basis to determine whether a jaggy occurs when the multiple-value image is output as a simple binary image, when a jaggy occurs, determines a conversion method for converting the multiple-value image in accordance with an amount of statistics calculated using the difference value, and outputs an image obtained by conversion using the determined conversion method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: DAISAKU IMAIZUMI, TERUHIKO MATSUOKA
  • Publication number: 20230341945
    Abstract: To provide an input apparatus including an acquisition circuit that acquires a captured image capturing a user, a detection circuit that detects a first hand of the user from the captured image acquired by the acquisition circuit, and a display circuit that displays, when a second hand different from the first hand is detected during tracking of the first hand detected by the detection circuit, notification information corresponding to a distance between the first hand and the second hand on the display screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Inventors: MASAHIKO TAKASHIMA, TERUHIKO MATSUOKA, TOMOYA ISHIKURA
  • Publication number: 20230057757
    Abstract: Provided are a memory and a processor connected to the memory to execute a program stored in the memory. The processor classifies each of pixels included in an image into any one region of a region of achromatic color and a region of chromatic color inside a color space, uses the pixels classified into the region of achromatic color to extract a first predetermined number of representative colors, uses the pixels classified into the region of chromatic color to extract a second predetermined number of representative colors, and replaces each of the pixels included in the image with a pixel of a representative color having a smallest difference in pixel value from the pixels included in the image, among the first predetermined number of representative colors and the second predetermined number of representative colors, to generate a color-reduced image of the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Inventors: TERUHIKO MATSUOKA, MASAHIKO TAKASHIMA, DAISAKU IMAIZUMI
  • Patent number: 11588954
    Abstract: An image processing device includes an image reader that reads an image, a first determiner that determines whether character crushing occurs when the image is binarized, a second determiner that determines a rate of a photographic region in the image, and a controller that performs conversion into monochrome N-gradation image data based on determination results of the first and second determiners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daisaku Imaizumi, Teruhiko Matsuoka, Akihito Yoshida, Chiharu Hirayama
  • Publication number: 20220284631
    Abstract: A multifunction peripheral includes a color number conversion determiner. The color number conversion determiner determines whether it is appropriate to perform either an index color process or a full-color process based on a color distribution degree, which is a distribution degree of pixel values of the respective sets of pixel data included in input image data, a photograph area ratio, which is a ratio of photograph area pixel data forming a photograph area to the pixel data, and a color uniformity area ratio, which is a ratio of white base area pixel data forming a white base area to the pixel data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventors: TERUHIKO MATSUOKA, AKIHITO YOSHIDA, MASAHIKO TAKASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20220174182
    Abstract: An image processing device includes an image reader that reads an image, a first determiner that determines whether character crushing occurs when the image is binarized, a second determiner that determines a rate of a photographic region in the image, and a controller that performs conversion into monochrome N-gradation image data based on determination results of the first and second determiners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: DAISAKU IMAIZUMI, TERUHIKO MATSUOKA, AKIHITO YOSHIDA, CHIHARU HIRAYAMA
  • Patent number: 11196874
    Abstract: To provide an image processing device including a generator that generates output image data from input image data, a calculation processor that calculates an evaluation value indicating a degree of information loss of the output image data, a determiner that compares the evaluation value with a predetermined threshold value and determines a magnitude of the degree of information loss, and a display that displays information in accordance with a determination result by the determiner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiko Takashima, Daisaku Imaizumi, Teruhiko Matsuoka, Yasushi Adachi
  • Patent number: 10855882
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus processes input image data and generates output image data. The image processing apparatus includes a feature-value calculating unit, an output-gradation-number setting unit, and an image processor. The feature-value calculating unit calculates a feature value from the input image data. The output-gradation-number setting unit sets, as the number of output gradations, any one gradation number of candidates for the number of output gradations based on the feature value calculated by the feature-value calculating unit. The image processor processes the input image data and generates the output image data having the number of output gradations which is set by the output-gradation-number setting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daisaku Imaizumi, Teruhiko Matsuoka, Masahiko Takashima, Yasushi Adachi
  • Publication number: 20200336604
    Abstract: To provide an image processing device including a generator that generates output image data from input image data, a calculation processor that calculates an evaluation value indicating a degree of information loss of the output image data, a determiner that compares the evaluation value with a predetermined threshold value and determines a magnitude of the degree of information loss, and a display that displays information in accordance with a determination result by the determiner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventors: MASAHIKO TAKASHIMA, DAISAKU IMAIZUMI, TERUHIKO MATSUOKA, YASUSHI ADACHI
  • Publication number: 20200014820
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus processes input image data and generates output image data. The image processing apparatus includes a feature-value calculating unit, an output-gradation-number setting unit, and an image processor. The feature-value calculating unit calculates a feature value from the input image data. The output-gradation-number setting unit sets, as the number of output gradations, any one gradation number of candidates for the number of output gradations based on the feature value calculated by the feature-value calculating unit. The image processor processes the input image data and generates the output image data having the number of output gradations which is set by the output-gradation-number setting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: DAISAKU IMAIZUMI, TERUHIKO MATSUOKA, MASAHIKO TAKASHIMA, YASUSHI ADACHI
  • Patent number: 9268998
    Abstract: An image determining apparatus of the present invention includes an image type determining section (81) which determines whether an image is a scanned image or a captured image; and a compact PDF file generation determining section (82) which (a) extracts (i) a feature regarding a resolution from the scanned image or (ii) a feature regarding a blur from the captured image and (b) determines, on the basis of the extracted feature, whether or not the image is suitable for the conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yohsuke Konishi, Atsuhisa Morimoto, Teruhiko Matsuoka, Daisaku Imaizumi
  • Publication number: 20150093031
    Abstract: An image determining apparatus of the present invention includes an image type determining section (81) which determines whether an image is a scanned image or a captured image; and a compact PDF file generation determining section (82) which (a) extracts (i) a feature regarding a resolution from the scanned image or (ii) a feature regarding a blur from the captured image and (b) determines, on the basis of the extracted feature, whether or not the image is suitable for the conversion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yohsuke KONISHI, Atsuhisa MORIMOTO, Teruhiko MATSUOKA, Daisaku IMAIZUMI
  • Patent number: 8792735
    Abstract: A color image processing apparatus is provided with a black text emphasis mode, in which, when compressing an image in a compression processing section, edges of a black text in the image are detected, a foreground layer in which the detected edges of the black text are represented by a binary image is generated, and lossless compression is performed on the foreground layer. When the black text emphasis mode is selected, a background layer in which the difference in density between the edges of the black text and pixels in the vicinity of the edges in the image is reduced is generated, and lossy compression is performed on the background layer. With this operation, in an image obtained by decompressing a compressed file, outline of the black text is clearly represented, and an artifact caused by the lossy compression is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Teruhiko Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 8463032
    Abstract: In a color image processing apparatus, in a compression process section (an image compressing apparatus), when an original document is compressed, the edges of black texts and/or line drawings in the original document is detected, then a foreground layer (a first image) is generated in which the detected edges are expressed in the form of a binary image, and then lossless compression is performed on the foreground layer. Further, a background layer (a second image) is generated in which a density difference of the edges from the other parts in the original document is reduced, and then lossy compression is performed on the background layer. Then, these layers are combined into a compressed file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Teruhiko Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 8422778
    Abstract: During compressing an image at the compression processing section (image compressing apparatus), the color image processing apparatus detects edge of text and/or line art, generates the foreground layer represented by binary image for showing the detected edge, compresses the foreground layer with lossless compression, and compresses the background layer which is an image except the foreground layer with lossy compression. Furthermore, the color image processing apparatus sets the foreground layer color different from a color of text or line art, and provides information representing the set color into the compression file. As the set color, the color image processing apparatus utilizes the overall color representative for whole region of the image, or the text-vicinity color in the image. The edge region of the text and/or line art are represented with such the set color on the reproduced image based on the compression file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Teruhiko Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 8280160
    Abstract: When N kinds of foreground identifiers for identifying color information of a foreground of a color image is to be reduced to M smaller than N, foreground identifiers corresponding to similar chromatic colors are merged and foreground identifiers corresponding to similar achromatic colors are merged but a foreground identifier corresponding to a chromatic color and a foreground identifier corresponding to an achromatic color are not merged. Thus, image quality degradation derived from color change from an achromatic color to a chromatic color or vice versa may be suppressed. On the basis of a foreground layer including the M kinds of foreground identifiers, M binary images respectively corresponding to the M kinds of foreground identifiers are generated, each of the binary images is subjected to lossless compression and a background layer is subjected to lossy compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Teruhiko Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 8254672
    Abstract: When priority is placed on a small file size, the number N of kinds foreground identifiers used for identifying color information of respective pixels of a foreground of a color image is reduced to M, which is smaller than N. For this purpose, a foreground identifier corresponding to pixels in number not more than a prescribed number K of pixels is replaced with a background identifier. When M is not more than a prescribed number P, M binary images respectively corresponding to the M kinds of identifiers are generated on the basis of a foreground layer including the M kinds of foreground identifiers, the respective binary images are subjected to lossless compression, and a background layer generated on the basis of the foreground layer is subjected to lossy compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Teruhiko Matsuoka
  • Publication number: 20110255777
    Abstract: A color image processing apparatus is provided with a black text emphasis mode, in which, when compressing an image in a compression processing section, edges of a black text in the image are detected, a foreground layer in which the detected edges of the black text are represented by a binary image is generated, and lossless compression is performed on the foreground layer. When the black text emphasis mode is selected, a background layer in which the difference in density between the edges of the black text and pixels in the vicinity of the edges in the image is reduced is generated, and lossy compression is performed on the background layer. With this operation, in an image obtained by decompressing a compressed file, outline of the black text is clearly represented, and an artifact caused by the lossy compression is suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Teruhiko MATSUOKA